Prairie Panic (eBook)

Holly Petersen (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
292 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
9798317821371 (ISBN)

Infos

Will National Park Ranger Rowan Campbell survive the dark storm building across the unforgiving fields of the Flint Hills? Or will the danger stalking just below her line of sight claim another victim?

Holly Petersen grew up in Kansas, and some of her fondest years were spent on her grandparent's farm outside the tiny town of Towanda, Kansas. Her favorite genres to read are mystery, historical fiction, and romance, but in her downtime, you'll find her tuning into paranormal and cryptid podcast shows. A self-proclaimed 'National Parks Geek,' Holly loves to travel. Thankfully her husband and two children share her love of nature and the outdoors. The family frequently spends time at a family cabin, where they occasionally experience paranormal activity of their own. When she isn't writing, Holly co-owns a Digital Marketing company with her husband in Nebraska.

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Graduate student Rowan Campbell is working her second summer as a Pathways Program Ranger for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas when her world is flipped upside down. A gruesome attack on the bison herd at the Preserve has been discovered. The kill site shows telltale signs of big cat predation, but could a rogue mountain lion passing through the region really be the cause of all the carnage? Rowan starts to have her doubts when one of her fellow team members goes missing, and a local game warden is less than forthcoming about what he knows. As Rowan uncovers evidence of strange lights spotted around the Preserve late at night, the suspiciously large cat tracks may be leading to a more sinister conspiracy terrorizing the Flint Hill plains of Kansas

Textauszug

Chapter Two

Don’s door was ajar. “Knock, knock,” she called out. “Hope I’m not interrupting, but I wanted to check in before heading out on patrol.”

“Come on in, Rowan. We need to apprise you of some recent events, anyway.” He watched Rowan join their powwow before continuing.

Don never minced words. Growing up on a family ranch in Kansas cattle country, he was familiar with every nook and cranny of the region. He was also adept at navigating the tricky nuance of the privately held lands abutting the Preserve and the local ranchers who owned them. Rowan was sure it contributed to his longevity at this post. Though gruff, she respected him and knew he was fair, albeit lackadaisical sometimes.

“What’s up? I saw José, and he said something about the bison?” Rowan was all ears. She looked around, acknowledging Jesse and the man standing to her right. His badge read Millford Watts, Kansas Fish and Game Warden. He was clearly the owner of the extra truck parked in the lot.

Don turned and gestured toward the man. “Rowan, this is Warden Millford Watts.”

“I go by, Mil. No need to be so formal.” He proffered a hand to Rowan.

Rowan nodded at Mil and shook his hand. He didn’t meet her eyes.

“Mil it is,” Don continued. “Jesse, correct me if I make any mistakes while I go through this. Anyway, Jesse found a bison calf and its mother dead early this morning up in the northeast corner of the pasture. They were pretty torn up. After examining the area, he spotted tracks around the kills that seemed to be from a bobcat or some other predator.

Rowan’s eyes widened. “Whoa. I’m pretty sure a bobcat isn’t capable of taking down a bison, especially a female with her calf. Where is the rest of the herd? Were they around when you were checking things out up there?”

“There’s no way this was a bobcat.” Jesse said, with marked irritation. “I saw those prints, and they were much larger than a bobcat.”

Warden Watts held up his hand. “Just hold on. There’s no need to rehash this. Let’s just get up there and take a look. We need to identify the scene and check for all potential causes of death. I can conduct a necropsy on-site to determine the cause. It’s possible there was predation after they both went down, and some animals found an easy meal throughout the night. That would account for unusual footprints and a messier scene.”

Jesse turned to Rowan. “The other cattle were located on the far side of the pasture. They acted irritated, and it was obvious they intentionally relocated as far away from the cow calf as possible. You’ll see what I mean. Let’s go check it out.” He tipped his head and signaled everyone to follow.

They left the office as another permanent ranger pulled into the parking lot. Walking alongside Jesse, Rowan ribbed him in the side. “It sounds like you had quite the shift.”

Jesse responded in a hushed tone. “I did, and I also am not a fan of this Mil guy. He swears up and down that there is no way it can be a big cat. I’m telling you; those prints looked like mountain lion prints. And get this.” Jesse’s voice dropped to just a whisper. “There were claw indentations.” He raised his brows, anticipating her response.

Rowan met his gaze. She knew full well that cats, of any size, retract their claws and didn’t leave behind claw marks within a print. Mountain lions in the area were not unheard of, but rare. Occasionally, a rogue lion traveling across Kansas following the big drainages, like the Cottonwood River was spotted, but there wasn’t a breeding population here and hadn’t been in over a century. The last time a large cat had been reported was a few years back and, it was closer to the Colorado border. Early settlers in the region saw to the eradication of lions, gray wolves, grizzlies, black bear and eventually even the bison in the Western Expansion for farming and ranching. These predators used to inhabit the grasslands of the Midwest. The thought depressed Rowan. She imagined abundant wildlife transforming this area. Just another sad tale of human encroachment.

Rowan and Jesse jumped in a Park truck, while Don and Mill rode up in the Fish and Game vehicle. She couldn’t wait to lay eyes on the prints herself and ran the possibilities through her mind. Cats, big and small, have retractable claws. Therefore, unless a cat was using them for traction to gain speed or for leverage, there would be no reason to see prints with visible claw indentations. Cats only use their claws when they need them. She turned to Jesse. “Hey, how did you find them in the first place? It’s pitch black out here at night and I’m sure I would have missed them, even if they were only a few feet from me.”

“Well, it was weird, really. I was coming down the west end bus tour route, and I noticed a light to the northeast. I used binoculars; to verify it wasn’t an illusion. I could see the light moving and decided to drive the Davis Trail as far as possible. Eventually, I had to stop because it was taking me away from the light. I got out on foot and hoofed it up to the corner of the enclosure, the entire time watching this light move through the sky. It was as bright as a flashlight, but more of an orb shape with a softer glow. Anyway, as I got closer, it dimmed and before I knew it, was completely gone. I could hear movement from the herd and shined my light to see them high tailing it in the opposite direction. I knew something was wrong. I kept going and came up to where I estimated I saw the light last and there they were.” Jesse leveled a serious look at Rowan. “Rowan, they were messed up. Claw slashes everywhere. Huge claws. I shined my light all around on the ground and that’s when I saw all the prints. There was no sign of any cat or other predator around.”

Rowan shook her head. “Wow. That’s nuts. What time was this?”

“When I thought to check my watch, it was around four-thirty or really close to that. I have no idea what’s going on, but I know what I saw and don’t need a game warden to tell me.”

“You know your stuff, Jesse. I don’t doubt you. I’m sure Mil just needs to get his ducks in a row to investigate and properly report the incident. I’m sure they’ll want to get to the bottom of it, especially if there is something suspicious going on. If there is an aggressive mountain lion in the area, he’s going to have to put the word out to all the ranchers. That alone will stir things up locally, and he likely wants to avoid that unless absolutely compelled.”

Jesse nodded. “He’s new. I didn’t ask where he was from, but I detected maybe a southern accent? There are plenty of politics in the Flint Hills and sometimes you don’t learn that until it’s too late.”

The trucks converged near the pasture, driving beyond the shoulder and a more direct route. Disembarking their vehicles, the foursome looked up and watched three turkey vultures circling the sky. Vultures and flies always arrived quickly when nature offered food.

“Let’s get over there before our evidence gets picked apart.” Jesse had a grim set to his mouth and charged ahead.

Rowan sensed his worry, piquing her curiosity even more. The team followed Jesse to the fence and took turns lifting the barbed wire until everyone was through. The wind picked up and Rowan’s hair whipped against her face. She could smell the prairie burning, but she also caught the distinct whiff of death. The sun was higher in the sky now and the air was warmer since her arrival. Flies swarmed the soft tissue of both carcasses, and her stomach lurched when she saw and smelled the scene up close. Rowan wasn’t used to seeing the macabre destruction nature could dole out, but she imagined that in time, it would get easier. Jesse hadn’t been kidding regarding the condition of the bodies.

The large cow was missing a significant chunk of hide on the right hind quarter. She also had multiple lacerations across her shoulder area and neck. The culprit had literally gone for the jugular, and this wound likely proved fatal for the cow. The calf was probably easier to subdue, but the mother was targeted first, given her protective instincts. She would have done everything she could to protect her young. The calf had minimal damage, with only evidence of a firm bite to the throat, suffocating it.

Mil carefully rotated around the bodies, noting each wound, and snapping pictures on a digital camera as he went. He carefully avoided the tracks and began studying them. “These are unusual. Big too. I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like this.”

Don cut in. “Do you reckon this really could be a mountain lion? The sheer size alone rules out a bobcat or other predator.”

“That’s my first guess, yes. I just wanted to see the site before I made that determination. Jesse was right though. There are claw imprints in a few. That seems improbable, biologically, yet I’m unsure how else to interpret this.” Mill retreated, taking a step back to observe the entirety of the scene.

They remained quiet and watched him survey the surroundings.

“I’m going to cast a few of these with plaster. I’ll be right back.” Mil jogged back to his truck.

Don swung his head toward Jesse. “You were right. I didn’t doubt you, but this has to be the most unusual thing I’ve come across since being assigned here, and that’s ten years of experience speaking.”

Jesse nodded. “I know I’m just getting started, but I’ve seen nothing like it, either. Knowing what to expect and actually seeing it are...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 13.11.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9798317821371 / 9798317821371